The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, after rising 0.9% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. During the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.8% before seasonal adjustment. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8% over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.3% over the last year. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include medical care (+2.5%), airline fares (+20.7%), household furnishings and operations (+3.9%), and recreation (+2.3%). [This was the largest increase in three years – AutoCrat.]*
“The index for energy rose 3.8% in April, accounting for over 40% of the monthly all items increase. The shelter index also increased in April, rising 0.6%. The index for food increased 0.5% over the month as the index for food at home rose 0.7% and the index for food away from home increased 0.2 %,” BLS said.
Highlights or Lowlights of April 2026 Consumer Price Index
- The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4% in April. Indexes that increased over the month include household furnishings and operations, airline fares, personal care, apparel, and education. Conversely, the indexes for new vehicles, communication, and medical care were among the major indexes that decreased in April.
- The all items index rose 3.8% for the 12 months ending April, after rising 3.3% for the 12 months ending March. The all items less food and energy index rose 2.8% over the year, following a 2.6% increase over the 12 months ending March. The energy index increased 17.9% for the 12 months ending April. The food index increased 3.2% over the last year.
Food
- The index for food rose 0.5% in April after being unchanged in March. The food at home index increased 0.7% over the month. Five of the six major grocery store food group indexes increased in April. The index for meats, poultry, fish, and eggs increased 1.3% over the month as the index for beef rose 2.7%. The fruits and vegetables index increased 1.8% in April and the non-alcoholic beverages index rose 1.1%. The index for dairy and related products increased 0.8% over the month and the index for cereals and bakery products rose 0.1% in April. In contrast, the index for other food at home fell 0.4% in April after being unchanged in March. The food away from home index rose 0.2% in April. The index for limited service meals rose 0.4% over the month and the index for full service meals rose 0.1%.
- The index for food at home rose 2.9% over the 12 months ending in April. The fruits and vegetables index rose 6.1% over the last 12 months. The index for other food at home increased 2.5% over the same period and the index for nonalcoholic beverages rose 5.1%. The cereals and bakery products index increased 2.6% over the 12 months ending in April and the meats, poultry, fish, and eggs index rose 1.5% over the same period. In contrast, the index for dairy and related products fell 0.6% over the year.
- The food away from home index rose 3.6% over the last year. The index for full service meals rose 3.8% and the index for limited service meals rose 3.2% over the same period.
Energy
- The index for energy increased 3.8% in April, after rising 10.9% in March. The gasoline index increased 5.4% over the month. (Before seasonal adjustment, gasoline prices increased 11.1% in April.) The index for electricity rose 2.1% in April. The fuel oil index increased 5.8% over the month. Conversely, the index for natural gas decreased 0.1% over the same period.
- The index for energy increased 17.9% over the past 12 months and the index for gasoline rose 28.4%. The electricity index increased 6.1% over the last 12 months ending in April and the natural gas index rose 3.0%.
All Items less Food and Energy
- The index for all items less food and energy rose 0.4% in April, after rising 0.2% in each of the two preceding months. The shelter index increased 0.6% over the month. The index for owners’ equivalent rent and the index for rent both increased 0.5% in April. The lodging away from home index rose 2.4% over the month.
- The index for household furnishings and operations increased 0.7% over the month, after rising 0.2% in March. The airline fares index rose 2.8% in April and the personal care index rose 0.7%. The index for apparel rose 0.6% over the month and the index for education rose 0.2% in April. The recreation index and the motor vehicle insurance index each increased 0.1% in April.
- The new vehicles index and the communication index each declined 0.2% in April. The index for used cars and trucks was unchanged over the month.
Medical Care
- The medical care index decreased 0.1% in April, after falling 0.2% in March.
- The index for hospital services decreased 0.3% over the month.
- Conversely, the physicians’ services index increased 0.6% over the month while the prescription drugs index was unchanged in April.
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
Trumped – Consumer Price Index Largest Increase in 3 Years!
The Consumer Price Index for All Urban Consumers (CPI-U) increased 0.6% on a seasonally adjusted basis in April, after rising 0.9% in March, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today. During the last 12 months, the all items index increased 3.8% before seasonal adjustment. The index for all items less food and energy rose 2.8% over the past 12 months. The shelter index increased 3.3% over the last year. Other indexes with notable increases over the last year include medical care (+2.5%), airline fares (+20.7%), household furnishings and operations (+3.9%), and recreation (+2.3%). [This was the largest increase in three years – AutoCrat.]*
“The index for energy rose 3.8% in April, accounting for over 40% of the monthly all items increase. The shelter index also increased in April, rising 0.6%. The index for food increased 0.5% over the month as the index for food at home rose 0.7% and the index for food away from home increased 0.2 %,” BLS said.
Highlights or Lowlights of April 2026 Consumer Price Index
Food
Energy
All Items less Food and Energy
Medical Care
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.